BERLIN – Germany on Friday said that it has received 136 asylum requests from Turkish diplomats since the July coup attempt against the Turkish democratic government.
The figure is a total for the period August 2016 to January 2017, German media report.
On the other hand, Turkey has asked Germany not to grant asylum to any military officers. Some deployed at Nato bases in Germany are thought to be among the group.
In Greece, two more Turkish soldiers have requested asylum. Both are in Greek police custody, having applied for asylum last week in Orestiada, a small border town near Turkey.
Last month, a Greek court dismissed Turkey’s request to extradite eight other Turkish soldiers who fled after the coup attempt.
The German interior ministry did not identify the 136 Turks who sought asylum. Not only diplomats but also their spouses and children hold diplomatic passports.
Soldiers who fled after the coup attempt fear that they will not get a fair trial in Turkey.
The Turkish authorities have dismissed at least 100,000 public servants, including teachers, police and members of the judiciary.
About 43,000 suspects are in detention. The crackdown is targeting suspected supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric who lives in self-imposed exile in the US.
